English Mediaeval Pilgrimage

Originally published in 1965, English Medieval Pilgrimage provides a detailed overview of the history of pilgrimage during the medieval period. The book looks at how the process of pilgrimage was more than a religious exercise, acting as a custom, a means of escape and a form of entertainment, as well as being an act of profound faith. The book argues that the medieval pilgrimage cannot be viewed in isolation, but indeed needs to be viewed in the context of the social and religious life of the people of the medieval age, across all social classes - from king to beggar. The book examines how the different attitudes towards pilgrimage were an expression of different attitudes towards living and indeed every aspect of the temporal and spiritual worlds. The book argues that the story of medieval pilgrimage can only be fully understood when viewed in light of the whole history of the country.

Inhalt

1. Pilgrimage and the Mediaeval Mind

2. Saint Winefrede of Holywell

3. The Shrines of Glastonbury

4. Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and Durham

5. The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham

6. Saint Thomas Becket of Canterbury

7. Saint Edward the Confessor

8. Saint Alban the Protomartyr

9. The Holy Rood of Bromholm

10. Conclusion

Index